Panic in Mnangagwa camp as impeachment talk intensifies

Growing fears of a potential impeachment plot are reportedly unsettling President Emmerson Mnangagwa's inner circle, as deepening cracks within the ruling Zanu-PF party threaten to erupt into a full-blown succession crisis.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, one of Mnangagwa's most ardent defenders and a chief architect of the "Vision 2030" economic agenda, appeared visibly shaken during a Zanu-PF Mashonaland West Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting in Chegutu on Saturday. In a fiery address, he warned party members against entertaining "hallucinating factions" and "outside forces" allegedly seeking to unseat the President through parliamentary impeachment.

"This talk of impeachment is nothing more than a continuation of failed protests," Ziyambi said, referencing the aborted March 31 demonstrations reportedly planned by expelled party member Blessed Geza. "Now they are panicking and fantasising about Parliament initiating impeachment. But in Zimbabwe, we have a party-based system. There is no space for individual grandstanding in Parliament - members follow the party line."

Ziyambi underscored that without the full support of the Zanu-PF parliamentary caucus, any attempt to impeach Mnangagwa is doomed to fail. He reiterated that MPs operate under a strict whipping system that enforces adherence to party directives from its key organs - the People's Conference, Congress, and Central Committee.

"Anyone who thinks they are bigger than the party will be thrown out," he warned. "Zanu-PF is a pocket big enough to fit everyone, but you can't fit it into your pocket - it will burn you."

Joining the defensive front, former Senate President and Council of Elders member Edna Madzongwe echoed Ziyambi's sentiments, warning against internal dissent. "If you are a Zanu-PF member, you cannot act against Zanu-PF," she said.

Behind the scenes, however, party insiders describe a deepening climate of uncertainty and distrust, exacerbated by the long-standing but increasingly fraught relationship between Mnangagwa and his deputy, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. Their alliance, forged during the 2017 military coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, has become increasingly strained amid subtle policy clashes, Chiwenga's absences from key events, and growing factionalism.

Analysts believe talk of impeachment may be linked to renewed efforts by Chiwenga's camp to force a resolution to Zanu-PF's unresolved succession question. With strong backing from war veterans and segments of the military, Chiwenga is widely believed to be positioning himself as an alternative to Mnangagwa's controversial ambitions to remain in power until 2030.

Critics have described Mnangagwa's attempts to extend his tenure as unconstitutional and destabilizing, warning that the ruling party risks imploding under the weight of its own unresolved leadership battles.

Sources close to Zanu-PF say the anxiety expressed by top loyalists like Ziyambi signals more than just a political smokescreen. It reflects genuine alarm within Mnangagwa's camp as economic hardships mount, public confidence erodes, and international pressure intensifies over allegations of repression and high-level corruption.

Although Zimbabwe's parliamentary structure - dominated by Zanu-PF - makes it structurally difficult to impeach a sitting president, the very notion of such a move being discussed openly suggests a party increasingly at war with itself.

As the political temperature rises, all eyes are now on how Mnangagwa navigates the growing unrest within his party - and whether his long-time ally-turned-rival, Chiwenga, will make a decisive move in what is shaping up to be Zanu-PF's most significant leadership showdown since 2017.